I finally opened my eyes. There she was. Flaming red hair, bright eyes, petite elven nose, and that mouth. Slightly downturned. Almost as if she was about to cry. Across the bottom of the picture was her serial number.

"They'll kill her, Ben. It's not my choice. You're both liabilities."

"You fucking made that picture up."

"And if I didn't? You want proof, that's all you're gonna get. I don't have time to stage a meeting. As soon as I walk out that door, I'm supposed to go straight to the boss's office. He's been impatient enough just waiting for you to wake up. Of course, he won't mind giving over an extra cell to watch you writhe, he's that kind of guy, but there's no reason to keep her around. If the answer's 'no', that's it. End of story. We need you, Ben, but we don't need you that much. And she's just taking up space."

He stared intently at my downcast face. "Please don't make me do this. Whatever you may think, I'm not a monster. It's not gonna give me any pleasure to deliver a death sentence, especially for someone who's not even involved. You need to make a decision. Now."